Translated material
The Investigative Committee in the Stavropol region opened a criminal case against nine Jehovah's Witnesses
The Investigative Committee in Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol) region opened a criminal case on the creation of an extremist organization against nine local residents. Interfax reports this with reference to the Investigative Committee for Stavropol, as well as to an informed source.
As follows from the official statement on the official website of the Investigative Committee, a case was opened under parts 1 and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization and participation in the activities of an extremist organization). According to investigators, the defendants “discussed religious intolerance towards representatives of other faiths with people who came to them, promoted the superiority of the teachings of this organization over other religions, and studied literature included in the federal list of extremist materials.”
An informed Interfax source reported that all the suspects are members of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization. Their names are not given.
Two days earlier, in the city of Georgievsk, Stavropol Territory, three local believers became defendants in a similar criminal case. The message from the Investigative Committee about the initiation of a criminal case against Jehovah's Witnesses in Nevinnomyssk almost completely repeats the text about the case against believers in Georgievsk in terms of the actions they are accused of.
- In April 2017, the Supreme Court recognized the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia as an extremist organization and banned its activities throughout the country. In August, all communities of Jehovah's Witnesses were added to the list of prohibited ones.
- In February 2019, the court handed down the first sentence in connection with the persecution of supporters of Jehovah's Witnesses with real imprisonment - Danish citizen Dennis Christensen was sentenced to six years in prison. In September, six residents of Saratov were sentenced to up to three and a half years in prison.